Tag: 2024 Marshall Scholarship winners

The British government revealed today the 51 recipients of Marshall Scholarships for 2024, the largest class in the award program’s seven decades of existence. Following an intense screening procedure, the awardees, who are among America’s most distinguished undergraduate university students and recent graduates, were chosen and will begin graduate studies at leading universities throughout the United Kingdom next year.

The Marshall Scholarship program was established in 1953 by an Act of the British Parliament as a living tribute to former US Secretary of State General George C. Marshall and the United States for their aid during the Marshall Plan. The scholarship covers up to three years of graduate study in any academic subject at any university in the United Kingdom, which is home to 17 of the world’s top 100 universities.

Dame Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the USA, said:

Nearly 70 years after the first group of American students journeyed across the Atlantic, the Marshall Scholarship program remains an integral part of the UK-US relationship. The British Government is excited to welcome this diverse and incredibly talented group of students to our shores, who embody the spirit and values that have animated the bilateral relationship.

The first 1954 class of twelve scholars (eight men and four women) became one of the first co-educational national scholarships in UK history, 21 years before the British S.ex Discrimination Act of 1975 prohibited the exclusion of women from education. Since then, over 2,200 American men and women have acquired graduate degrees through the Marshall Scholarship and have gone on to hold significant positions in American culture.

This year’s class includes future ambassadors, surgeons, fighter pilots, and scientists. Half of the class of 2024 will pursue STEM degrees, with several focusing on the ethics and growth of artificial intelligence (AI). The emphasis on luring America’s brightest young scientific minds mirrors the UK Government’s goal of transforming Britain into a ‘Science & Technology Superpower’ by 2030. Last month, the United Kingdom held the first-ever global AI summit, at which 28 countries reached a groundbreaking commitment to collaborate on AI’s challenges and prospects. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom and the United States signed the ‘Atlantic Declaration,’ committing mutual collaboration and investment in emerging technologies such as AI, quantum, and 6G.

John Raine, Chair of the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, said:

The Marshall Scholarship has a proud history of helping to drive scientific innovation. From Ray Dolby’s revolutionary advancements in audio engineering to Dr. Dan Barouch’s critical role in spearheading the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, Marshall Scholars are continuing to push the scientific boundaries of what’s possible.

This year, the program got 1006 applications from candidates from academic institutions from across the United States. There are 34 US institutions represented across 21 US states and the District of Columbia, with approximately a third of them being state or public universities and military service academies. For the first time, Mississippi State University, Washington & Lee University (VA), and the University of Hawaii at Hilo will send Marshall Scholars to the United Kingdom. For the first time in two decades, awards were given to scholars from the University of Denver and the University of Mississippi.

The program is primarily sponsored by the British government, but it also receives considerable assistance from world-class British academic institutions through partnership agreements, allowing winners to pursue graduate degrees in nearly any academic area at any university in the UK. The class of 2024 will begin their studies next September at 18 different schools across the UK, ranging from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to Loughborough University in Leicestershire.

The scholarship program also continues to receive considerable funding from the Association of Marshall Scholars (AMS), the Marshall Scholarship’s official alumni organization. The British Schools and Universities Foundation (BUSF) also offers considerable support and scholarship funds.

The full list of 2024 winners